What Tulsans Need to Know About Vision2 Before the Big Vote

Background

The measure extends a .06 cent sales tax increase to fund economic development and public works projects in Tulsa County. Vision2 is expected to generate $748.8 million and is divided into two parts.

Proposition No. 1: Economic Development

Purpose: Improve and modernize the Tulsa International Airport Industrial Complex and create a job-creation fund to pay for infrastructure improvements to attract and keep companies that bring jobs to Tulsa County.

Funding:$386.8 million

Breakdown:

$254 million for Tulsa International Airport Industrial Complex

$52.9 million job-creation fund

$79.9 million bonding costs and interest

Proposition No. 2: County Quality-of-Life Projects

Purpose: Quality-of-live improvements for Tulsa County communities and capital improvement projects for the county.

Funding: $361.9 million

Breakdown:

$257.9 million will be divided among 10 cities in Tulsa CountyTulsa $157.92 million

City Breakdown of Proposition 2 Funding

City

Estimated Funds

Population

$ Per person

Tulsa

$157,920,000

396,466

$398.32

Broken Arrow

$44,100,000

100,073

$440.68

Owasso

$14,380,000

29,854

$481.68

Bixby

$11,300,000

21,137

$534.61

Sand Springs

$10,100,000

19,140

$527.69

Jenks

$9,200,000

17,130

$537.07

Glenpool

$5,900,000

10,938

$539.40

Collinsville

$3,000,000

5,672

$528.91

Skiatook

$1,160,000

7,389

$156.99

Sperry

$643,894

1,206

$533.91

Source: Tulsa County, U.S. Census Bureau

$92 million for improvements to the Juvenile Justice Center, Expo Square, levee,, and various parks, roads and infrastructure upgrades

$12 million bonding costs and interest

Context

Vision2 is basically an extension of Tulsa County’s Vision 2025 measure, which voters approved in September 2003. But Vision 2025 doesn’t expire until 2017, so many Tulsans asked: What’s the hurry?

American Airlines: The bankrupt airline has a maintenance and overhaul base inside a City of Tulsa-owned building near the Tulsa International Airport. The base is outdated and needs modernizing, supporters say. If voters don’t approve Proposition 1 of Vision2, those jobs could be poached by another city that’s more eager for aerospace — like Wichita, Kan.

Oklahoma City: Oklahoma City has had a lot of success with MAPS, a series of sales tax increases for public works project throughout the city. The MAPS programs have been credited as providing the framework for a lot of the growth in OKC, which boasts the lowest unemployment of any major city in the United States.

Tulsa’s District 9 city councilman, G.T. Bynum, said OKC’s success with MAPS is a reminder that cities don’t exist in a vacuum.

“There is competition out there for job recruitment, and for citizenry, and for quality of life,” he tells StateImpact.

Proponents

American Airlines, the Tulsa Metro Chamber, most city/county officials, Mayor Dewey Bartlett, and the Tulsa World‘s editorial board are all encouraging a ‘yes’ vote on Vision2 propositions.

Both Vision2 propositions are supported by most city/county officials, according to a Tulsa Worldsurvey. And the measure has enjoyed a strong push from the Tulsa Metro Chamber, which is the effort’s single largest donor.

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett is a big supporter of Vision2.

“The aerospace and manufacturing jobs located at the airport remain the single largest economic driver in our city, and in order to compete for these jobs in the future, we need to update our outdated city-owned facilities,” Bartlett tells the World in support of Proposition 1.

Opponents

Some current and former Tulsa city councilors, Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel, mayoral candidate Bill Christiansen, Michael Bates, Citizens for a Better Vision and TulsaNow are pushing for a ‘no’ vote on Vision2 propositions.

Much of of the vocal opposition to Vision2 has centered on Propisition 1.

The fact that the bulk of the Proposition 1 money would go to modenizing facilities occupied by bankrupt American Airlines has angered many, including prominent Tulsa blogger and political activist Michael Bates, who writes:

We’re being asked to borrow $214 million now in hopes of keeping a company that is bankrupt, that may not emerge from bankruptcy, that has already cut over 1,000 positions in Tulsa and is likely to cut more, that may go out out of business before we begin generating the tax revenue to pay back the loans.

And while most city/county officials support Vision2 in its entirety, four Tulsa city councilors — G.T. Bynum, Jeannie Cue, Blake Ewing and Karen Gilbert — have stepped out against against Proposition 1, the World reports.

Bynum has been openly critical of the $52.9 million deal-closing fund aspect, which would have a government authority parceling out tax dollars to help lure new and expand existing businesses.

October 16, 2012

Latest Posts

November 15, 2012

The polling ahead of this year’s election was mostly accurate. But one Oklahoma poll was among those that missed the mark badly when, just days before the election, it showed Tulsa County’s Vision2 tax extension headed for victory. Close to 60 percent of respondents said they were in favor of Arkansas River dam upgrades and [...]

November 9, 2012

Tulsa County voters soundly rejected Vision2, but supporters of improving the city-owned airport-industrial complex have vowed to find another way. “We cannot stop this process,” Vision2 co-chairman Don Walker tells the Tulsa World. “If the voters did not like this proposal, we as citizens are going to have to find another way to reinvest in [...]

November 7, 2012

There was healthy debate about the merits of Tulsa County’s Vision2 measure, including discussion about taxpayers’ role in “picking and choosing” corporate winners and losers. But a lot of the reasons cited for the rejection had to do with timing and confusion over the two propositions. “It was too fast,” opponent and anti-Vision2 organizer Ronda [...]

Oklahoma voters approved all six state questions Tuesday, but citizens in Tulsa County turned down both Vision2 propositions. Statewide, voter turnout was high, and all state questions passed with ‘yes’ votes by wide margins. And while polling suggested voters in Tulsa County voters might deliver a split decision on the two-part Vision2 sales tax extension, [...]

Click for live results and update concerning Oklahoma’s six state questions and Vision2 ballot initiative in Tulsa County. [UPDATED: 12:32 a.m.]

November 5, 2012

Tulsa County voters seem mixed on the two-part Vision2 ballot question, a new poll suggests. Vision2′s quality-of-life Proposition 2 appears to be headed to victory in Tuesday’s election, while the fate of Proposition 1 with its airport industrial complex upgrades and deal-closing fund is uncertain, a new Tulsa World poll shows. The World used SoonerPoll.com [...]

November 1, 2012

The Vision2 proposal is up for a vote Tuesday in Tulsa County. It’s a $750 million sales tax extension that would spread millions to the county and its communities for quality of life improvements of their choosing. But the largest portion of Vision2 spending is earmarked for economic development, and most of that money will be [...]

October 31, 2012

Supporters of Tulsa’s Vision2 tax package have a lot more campaign cash than their opponents. While Vision2 proponents have almost $600,000 on hand, anti-tax package team Citizens for a Better Vision have a war chest with about $11,000 in cash and in-kind donations, reports the Tulsa World‘s Brian Barber, who sifted through campaign finance reports [...]